PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles were good, lucky and a little better than the Arizona Cardinals in a 24-21 win Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

While it was anything but a convincing victory over a solid team the Eagles (7-5) have won four straight games and are just a tiebreaker behind the Dallas Cowboys (7-5) for the NFC East lead.

“It’s huge,” said Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, who caught two touchdown passes. “The Cardinals are playing at a very high level. We wanted to kind of make statement. They’re a heck of a team. Their defense is very talented so we knew we had to play well to get this W.”

The Eagles almost had to win the game twice.

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After jumping out to a commanding 24-7 lead on three touchdown passes by Nick Foles, the other to tight end Brent Celek, the Eagles needed a little luck to hang on down the homestretch.

Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer threw touchdown passes to Michael Floyd and Jim Dray on consecutive possessions cutting the gap to a field goal with 4:45 remaining.

On the next Eagles possession Foles threw what looked like his first interception of the season. Though Patrick Peterson grabbed it at the 34-yard line of the Eagles, there was a sea of yellow flags.

Referee Tony Corrente’s crew called a hold on Tyrann Mathieu away from the action, wiping out the pick and all but saving the day for the Eagles. No one would be surprised if Corrente got a Christmas card from an anonymous NFL quarterback.

“When I tried to pull the trigger on it I got hit,” said the 6-6, 243-pound Foles, who was trying to run a naked boot. “It wasn’t a smart decision by me. It definitely was a mistake by me and I was happy that there was a penalty kept our drive going.”

Foles didn’t mention it but he had to be happy that he’s now thrown 19 touchdowns without an interception to start the season, one TD short of the NFL record set by Peyton Manning this season. Foles also has thrown 233 passes without a pick, a club record.

The next bit of good fortune came after Donnie Jones, who dropped seven of his eight punts inside the day inside the 20-yard line of the Cardinals, left one at the 10 of the Cardinals with 2:03 remaining.

On fourth-and-five from the 15-yard line Floyd, who had the depth for a first down, appeared to be fouled twice by Eagles defender Bradley Fletcher. The officials simply ruled the play incomplete touching off an angry protest form the Cardinals (7-5), who would see a four-game win streak crash and burn.

“You have to get there when the ball gets there,” Fletcher said. “And I was able to do that. To put the offense on the field, with that amount of time that was left on the clock, that was a great feeling.”

Said Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, who had to play without the cornerback and his strained pectoral most of the past two games, “I thought having Fletcher back really helped us.”

The Eagles had to make one more play to keep the Cardinals down. Critics would say they needed one more flag to go their way.

After taking over on downs, the Eagles found themselves in third-and-four at the nine-yard line of the Cardinals with 1:42 left. Eagles tight end James Casey blocked linebacker Matt Shaughnessy, then was grabbed by the defender as he released to run a route. Foles was sacked but Shaugnessy was flagged for holding. Moments later linebacker Daryl Washington had to be separated from Corrente, who nailed the angry Cardinal with unsportsmanlike conduct.

“We felt like we played a great second half,” Matheiu said. “But at the end of the day we got those two big penalties that hurt us.”

The Eagles blew several opportunities to slam the door on the Cardinals.

The Eagles had a chance to break the game open with 13:07 remaining, having forced them to punt from their 11-yard after Trent Cole’s second sack. DeSean Jackson fielded the punt and weaved in and out of traffic on what looed like a 53-yard touchdown.

Later on the possession Jason Avant’s block in the back shaved 10 yards off a 19-yard run by LeSean McCoy. It was that kind of game.

The Eagles had the Cardinals gassed in the third quarter.

The Eagles took the kickoff to start the third quarter and rolled 80 yards in 13 plays to grab a 24-7 lead.

Ertz caught two passes for 40 yards on the march, including a 24-yard touchdown, his second score of the game.

The Cardinals defense had been on the field 23 straight plays going back to the second quarter, when the Eagles benefitted on a 28-yard pass interference penalty on Jerraud Powers, who blanketed Riley Cooper in the end zone. The Cardinals protested the pass was uncatchable.

On first-and-goal at the one-yard line, Foles found Brent Celek for his fourth TD grab of the season, staking the Eagles to a 17-7 lead at the intermission.

With a little help, the Cardinals climbed back into it in the third quarter.

With the Cardinals facing a first-and-20 after a holding penalty, Eagles safety Patrick Chung missed Stepfan Taylor twice on a 29-yard catch-and-run giving the Cardinals a first down.

Later on the 13-play, 80-yard march Floyd rubbed off Fletcher, leaving the appreciably shorter Brandon Boykin a step behind in coverage. Floyd hauled in an easy 23-yard scoring reception pulling the Cardinals within 24-14 with 5:14 left in the third quarter.

Floyd caught a 31-yard pass on third-and-12 at the Cardinal 15 later in the third quarter, as he beat Cary Williams on the play.

But Williams came back to pick Palmer off. It was the third takeaway on the afternoon for the Eagles, including the second interception of Palmer. On both picks Palmer put the ball up for his receivers.

Though Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians refused to blame the defeat on the officials, his body language during the game as well as the gyrations by his players suggested otherwise.

“We could have said the same thing about some of their stuff,” Eagles safety Nate Allen said of the Cardinals. “There’s give and take in games like this. You can’t get wrapped up in it. We won some calls on the day. They won some calls on the day. It’s irrelevant. It was good to get the W. You’re going to get some calls and you’re going to lose some. Hey, we won today so it’s all good, you know? At the end of the day as long as you win it’s easier to forget those.”